Police exhume corpse of middle aged man killed by unknown assailants in Anambra community

Law enforcement agents have supervised exhumation of a corpse of a middle aged farmer, Mr Okoye Tagbo, suspectedly killed by some unknown assailants at a boundary between Omor and Anaku communities in Ayamelum Local Government Area, Anambra State.

The corpse was found in a shallow grave near the scene of the attack with head, heart, hands, feet and genital missing, fuelling speculation that he was murdered by warlords.

Anaku and Omor communities have remained at daggers’ drawn over ownership claims of the disputed border farmland, leading to destruction of property, deaths of people and many remained missing at both sides.

A relative of the deceased, High Chief Johnson Ifejika, alleged that late Tagbo, who hails from Umuokpanta, Orenja village in Omor, went to his farm close to the disputed farmland near Anaku-Omor boundary to harvest cassava on January 10, 2022 and never returned.

“The family raised alarm when the widower with nine children failed to return at nightfall. This forced the village to launch frantic search for him. We found Tagbo buried in a shallow grave in the farm where he was harvesting cassava. The dead body, which we exhumed in the presence of police and military operatives that joined us in the search was without head, genital organ, hands and legs and the heart”, he said.

Also speaking, the traditional ruler of Omor community, HRH Igwe Chris Chidume, condemned the killing but appealed to his subjects not to revenge but allow law enforcement agents to investigate and bring the culprits to book.

Confirming the report, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Tochukwu Ikenga, said although the cause of the death was not known, the corpse has been deposited at morgue for autopsy.

“Yes, our Divisional Police station in Anaku discovered a corpse of a man in farm at Omor. But the place is now calm because the police command has drafted some policemen to the area to maintain law and order. We are calling on the people of the community to volunteer information that will be helpful to the police in the cause of our investigation,” he said.